This application claims priority to Japanese Patent Application 10-238307, filed Aug. 25, 1998 in Japan, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
(1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a database search system using a CGI (Common Gateway Interface) program in a world wide web (WWW) server, and more particularly to a database system, to a server device searching the database, to a client terminal, and to a medium storing database searching programs, in which users direct the search condition voluntarily for each of the users and obtain a search result list.
(2) Description of the Prior Art
A WWW(world wide web) browser is easy to operate, so it has been disseminated and used widely in recent times. A search system, for example in a database search system like a relational data base (RDB) etc., is realized in an intranet environment including a WWW client and a WWW server.
FIG. 17 shows an example of a structure of a database search system of the prior art.
As shown in FIG. 17, a client terminal 100 (which is the same as a client terminal 100xe2x80x2) is a device which allows a user access to a data base 32 by using a WWW browser principle part 110, which is fundamental software used as a display browser, a hypertext part 111 for displaying on screen an HTML document received from WWW server 200, and a server processing request part 112 as a means for communicating with the WWW server 200. The client terminal 100 also includes a display 113 and input/output devices like a keyboard and a mouse (not shown in FIG. 17).
WWW server 200 is connected to the client terminal 100 through network 4, and is also connected to the database server 3 through the network 4. WWW server principle controller part 220 implements fundamental control like communication with another device. The CGI (Common Gateway Interface) processing part 221 receives processing requests from the server processing request part 112 of the client terminal 100, accesses the database server 3 to receive search results, and sends the search results to the client terminal 100. SQL sentence defining part 222 includes various kinds of models of search programs defined by an SQL sentence, which is a language used for searching the database 32 which the database server 3 manages. Hypertext part 223 is an HTML (Hypertext Markup Language) source for displaying the display resulting from a database search.
As CGI processing part 221, SQL sentence defining part 222 and hypertext part 223 are one set, a plurality of sets thereof are provided according to the numbers of search screens shown on displays 113.
The database server 3 manages the database 32. RDB server fundamental part 30 is fundamental software which accepts requests made by WWW server 200 and manages relational database (RDB) 32. SQL sentence implementing part 31 implements the SQL sentence and searches the database 32.
FIG. 18 shows the database 32 of the search object. The database 32 in following expression is a relational database and is, for example, composed of tables such as table TECT 34, table IPPANT 36, table RANKT 38, and table SOURCET 40.
The table TECT 34 is a table concerning technology, and includes field ZUB of figure number, field SEK of designer, and field SKA of design department. The table IPPANT 36 is a table concerning general symbols, which includes field KAI of circuit symbols, and field ZUB of figure numbers (a kind of item number), and field KINO concerning function. The table RANKT 38 is a table concerning basic rank, which includes fields KAI concerning circuit symbol, and field KBAN of CN item number. The table SOURCET 40 is a table of product information by circuit symbol, which includes field KAI and field THE of order specification (number) etc.
FIG. 19A shows an example of the hypertext part 223 shown in FIG. 17, and it is HTML source sent first to the client terminal 100, in response to the search request from the client terminal 100, and is that for displaying an initial screen.
In the HTML source of FIG. 19A, the tag of xe2x80x9c less than INPUT TYPE= . . . xe2x80x9d makes one line of input field. xe2x80x9cSIZE= . . . xe2x80x9d defines a length of input field. xe2x80x9cVALUE= . . . xe2x80x9d directs a text which is displayed in an input field as default.xe2x80x9d xe2x80x9cMAXLENGTH= . . . xe2x80x9d defines the maximum character number possible to input. xe2x80x9cNAME=xe2x80x9c . . . xe2x80x9dxe2x80x9d indicates a field name, and it is concealed characters which are used to decipher the sending data.
FIG. 19B shows an example of an SQL sentence definition in SQL sentence defining part 222 of FIG. 17. In this SQL sentence, the SQL sentence directs order specification, function, figure number, CN item number, designer and department of design, using field THE (order specification) of table SOURCET as the key thereof.
FIG. 19C shows an example of a process executed by CGI processing part 221 shown in FIG. 17.
In following, an example of the system shown in FIG. 17 is explained.
In searching the database 32, the user of the client terminal 100 indicates a URL(Universal Resource Locator) of WWW server 200 defined preliminarily by using a browser of the client terminal 100. The indicated HTML source is downloaded from the WWW server 200. The HTML source is a hypertext information of the search direction description shown in FIG. 19A as an example, and an initial screen of the browser shown in the FIG. 20A is displayed by it.
Now when xe2x80x9cC76L-0420-0002xe2x80x9d is input as shown in FIG. 20B into the input field of the order specification, and operating search button, input information of xe2x80x9cVALUE=xe2x80x9dC76L-0420-0002xe2x80x9dxe2x80x9d in xe2x80x9c less than INPUT TYPE= . . . xe2x80x9d of HTML is transferred to CGI process part 221 of WWW server 200 from the server process request part 112. As a result, the CGI program in CGI process part 221 implements following process (a)-(d) as shown in FIG. 19C.
(a) At first, the input information of search screen is obtained. In the present example, the input information of order specification number xe2x80x9cC76L-0420-0002xe2x80x9d is obtained.
(b) The input information is inserted into the SQL sentence definition of SQL sentence defined part 222 provided corresponding to the CGI processing part 221. That is, xe2x80x9cC76-0420-002xe2x80x9d is set in the xe2x80x9cXXXXXXXXXXXXXxe2x80x9d in the WHERE phrase of SQL sentence definition shown in FIG. 19B and shown in FIG. 20C.
(c) Next, connection to the database server 3 performed, and the SQL sentence made in the above mentioned process (b) is issued.
(d) After the search result is obtained, the search result is sent to the client terminal 100.
FIG. 20D shows an example of a screen of a search result list sent by WWW server 200. In the example, one case data is shown as the search result.
As shown in the above mentioned prior art, combinations of CGI processing part 221 and SQL sentence defining part 222 and hypertext part 223 for displaying a screen are defined all is an one-to-one relationship, so the search screen for displaying search direction and search result, and SQL sentence definition by the search direction, and CGI program for issuing the SQL sentence are determined rigidly. Therefore, new CGI process part 221, SQL sentence definition part 222, and hypertext 223 for displaying the screen should be provided in the WWW server 220 corresponding to the different displaying embodiments of search contents and the search result.
Like this, in the prior art, specialists having database knowledge and expertise in CGI programs make typical search screens and realize the search system, so the users of the client terminal 100 cannot change the search condition voluntarily.
In the prior art, a person who understands well the table structure and field information of relational databases, and knows how the table and the field are linked makes up the search sentence, and definitions such as the search screen of HTML are made similarly, so there are the following problems.
The first problem is when a new search condition and search menu etc. or screen for displaying search result are requested, CGI program, search sentence (SQL sentence definition) and screen definition (HTML source) are made by manufacture work, so the development working steps are great.
The second problem is the client side cannot customize the search condition and search screen so as to fit with his circumstances.
The third problem is that the person who has knowledge of the database and is an expert in intranet work environment only can deal with either the change of search condition and search screen.
The present invention has objects that solve the above mentioned problems and realizes the most suitable and flexible search system by using intranet (WWW client terminal, and WWW server), and relational databases, and provides a system in which the user of a client terminal can change a parameter of a search condition, and a method for displaying a list of a search result easily and voluntarily.
An object of the present invention is to reduce the number of development working steps for searching a database.
Another object of the present invention is to allow a client to customize the search condition and search screen to fit the his circumstances.
A further object of the present invention is to allow a user who is not on expert in database searching to easily modify the search screen and search conditions.
Yet a further object of the present invention is to provide a suitable and flexible search system.
The present invention relates to a database search system that a client terminal and a WWW server such as the intranet are connected through a network, and it is characterized in that database information for a search object and search information are provided in a hypertext part defining a screen for a search, and creates automatically a database search sentence (SQL sentence) based on the information described in the hypertext part. Therefore, the search condition and the method for displaying the search result the list are changed simply by changing a screen definition without changing database search sentence of SQL sentence definition etc.
Further the present invention relates to automatic creation of an SQL sentence, realizes automatically the creation of link relation information between tables in relational databases. As a result, the SQL sentence is created automatically based on the minimum necessary information in the hypertext, and the change of database construction is dealt with flexibly.
Also the present invention comprises search list item editing means which edits the descriptive information in a hypertext part defining a screen by GUI (Graphical User Interface) in the client terminal. Therefore, the user of the client terminal changes voluntarily the search direction condition, list condition of search result, and sort condition of result output.
The above mentioned program for realizing the search server and client terminal is stored in suitable memory medium such as a computer readable movable medium memory, semiconductor memory and hard disk.
These together with other objects and advantages which will be subsequently apparent, reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout.